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Human social interactions ensure recognition and approval from others, both in offline and online environments. This study applies a model from behavioral genetics on Instagram sociability to explore the impact of individual development on behavior on social networks. We hypothesize that sociable attitudes on Instagram resulted from an interaction between serotonin transporter gene alleles and the individual's social relationship with caregivers. We assess the environmental and genetic components of 57 Instagram users. The self-report questionnaire Parental Bonding Instrument is adopted to determine the quality of parental bonding. The number of posts, followed users ("followings"), and followers are collected from Instagram as measures of online social activity. Additionally, the ratio between the number of followers and followings ("Social Desirability Index") was calculated to estimate the asymmetry of each user's social network. Finally, buccal mucosa cell samples were acquired, and the polymorphism rs25531 (T/T homozygotes vs. C-carriers) within the serotonin transporter gene was examined. In the preliminary analysis, we identified a gender effect on the number of followings. In addition, we specifically found a gene-environment interaction on the standardized Instagram "Social Desirability Index" in line with our predictions. Users with the genotype more sensitive to environmental influences (T/T homozygotes) showed a higher Instagram "Social Desirability Index" than nonsensitive ones (C-carriers) when they experienced positive maternal care. This result may contribute to understanding online social behavior from a gene*environment perspective. Nanyang Technological University Published version This research was supported by grants from the NAP SUG to GE (M4081597, 2015–2021) and from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (Excellence Department Grant awarded to the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Italy) (I.C. and G.E.).

Humans are evolutionary-driven to adult mating and conceive social expectations on the quality of their affiliations. The genetic susceptibility to adverse environments in critical periods can alter close relationships. The current research investigates how the promoter region of the Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTTLPR) and perceived caregiving behavior in childhood could influence the social expectations on close adult relationships. For this purpose, 5-HTTLPR data was collected from the buccal mucosa of 65 Italian individuals (33 males). The participants filled (a) the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) to provide the levels of care and overprotection from mother and father, and (b) the Experience in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) to report the social expectations on the intimate relationship assessed in terms of anxiety and avoidance from the partner. An interaction effect between 5-HTTLPR and PBI dimensions on the ECR-R scores was hypothesized. Results confirmed that the interplay between the genetic groups and history of maternal overprotection predicted avoidance experienced in romantic relationships in adulthood. Moreover, both adult anxiety and avoidance felt in an intimate relationship were found to covary as a function of maternal overprotection. The present work proposes further evidence of the genetic and parental mechanisms regulating social expectations involved in close relationships. Ministry of Education (MOE) Nanyang Technological University Published version This research was supported by grants from the NAP SUG (M4081597, 2015-2021) and the Ministry of Education, Singapore, under its Academic Research Fund Tier 1 (RG55/18) to G.E.

Background: Developmental disabilities have been largely studied in the past years. Their etiological mechanisms have been underpinned to the interactions between genetic and environmental factors. These factors show variability across the world. Thus, it is important to understand where the set of knowledge obtained on developmental disabilities originates from and whether it is generalizable to low- and middle-income countries. Aims: This study aims to understand the origins of the available literature on developmental disabilities, keeping a focus on parenting, and identify the main trend of research. Methods and Procedure: A sample of 11,315 publications from 1936 to 2020 were collected from Scopus and a graphical country analysis was conducted. Furthermore, a qualitative approach enabled the clustering of references by keywords into four main areas: "Expression of the disorder", "Physiological factors", "How it is studied" and "Environmental factors". For each area, a Document Co-citation Analysis (DCA) on CiteSpace software was performed. Outcomes and Results: Results highlight the leading role of North America in the study of developmental disabilities. Trends in the literature and the documents' scientific relevance are discussed in details. Conclusions and Implications: Results demand for investigation in different socio-economical settings to generalize our knowledge.

Oxytocin is a primary neuropeptide which coordinates affiliative behavior. Previous researchers pointed to the association between genetic vulnerability on Oxytocin Receptor Gene (OXTR) and environmental factors (e.g., social relationships) to comprehend social behavior. Although an extensive knowledge of in-person social interactions has been obtained, little is known about online sociability. A gene-environment perspective is adopted to examine how OXTR and adult attachment moderate Instagram behavior. The genetic factors within the regions OXTR/rs53576 (A/A homozygotes vs G-carriers) and OXTR/rs2254298 (G/G homozygotes vs A-carriers) were assessed. The Experience in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) questionnaire was used to collect participants' (N = 57, 16 males) attachment with a partner. The number of posts, followed people (“followings”) and followers were obtained from Instagram, and the Social Desirability Index (SDI) was calculated as the ratio of followers to followings. Interaction effects between OXTR groups and ECR-R scores on the number of posts and SDI were hypothesized. Results showed an effect of rs53576 on the number of Instagram followings. Specifically, people with A/A OXTR/rs53576 genotype had more followings than G-carriers independent of the anxiety or avoidance felt towards their partner. These preliminary results offer insights into future investigations on social media behavior., Gene*Environment; Adult attachment; Close relationship; Oxytocin Receptor Gene; rs53576; rs2254298; Online behavior; Social media; Social network; Instagram

Social networking sites have determined radical changes in human life, demanding investigations on online socialization mechanisms. The knowledge acquired on in-person sociability could guide researchers to consider both environmental and genetic features as candidates of online socialization. Here, we explored the impact of the quality of adult attachment and the genetic properties of the Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTTLPR) on Instagram social behavior. Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire was adopted to assess 57 Instagram users’ attachment pattern in close relationships with partners. Genotypes from the 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 region were extracted from the users’ buccal mucosa and analyzed. Users’ Instagram social behavior was examined from four indexes: number of posts, number of followed users (“followings”) and number of followers, and the Social Desirability Index calculated from the followers to followings ratio. Although no interaction between rs25531 and ECR-R dimensions was found, an association between avoidance in close relationships and Instagram number of followings emerged. Post hoc analyses revealed adult avoidance from the partner predicts the Instagram number of followings with good evidence. Moreover, users reporting high avoidance levels displayed fewer followings than users who reported low levels of avoidance. This research provides a window into the psychobiological understanding of online socialization on Instagram. Ministry of Education (MOE) Nanyang Technological University Published version This research was supported by grants from the NAP SUG (M4081597, 2015-2021) and the Singapore Ministry of Education ACR Tier 1 (RG149/16 and RT10/19) to G.E.

Adult social interactions are regulated by the mental representation of self and behavioural expectation from the others. Specifically, early interactions with parents affect social experience throughout a lifetime, as a repeated and prolonged perception of different levels of care, independence or control influences the modulation of emotional regulatory processes. Although environmental factors, like early parent-child bonding, affect adult significant social interactions, intrinsic biological predispositions could play a pivotal role in modulating the degrees of susceptibility to the external social context, especially in a sensitive temporal frame like childhood [1]. Among the multiple genetic variants, features related to parenting assets and recalled attachment could be associated with a region of the serotonin transporter gene, namely 5HTT rs25531 [2].

Parents play a primary and crucial role in emotional socialisation processes in children where individuals learn the expression, understanding and regulation of emotions. Parenting practices and dimensions of the parent-child relationship have been associated with social and emotional processes in children. As criticism involves negative emotional reactions and emotion regulation, the parent-child relationship is likely to influence an individual's perception and response to criticism. Hence, the present study investigated the relationship of parental bonding and the perception and response to criticism in three different countries-Singapore, Italy and USA. Adult participants (n = 444) completed the Parental Bonding Inventory (PBI) and measures of criticism. Parental care, overprotection and country were found to be significant predictors of a tendency to perceive criticism as destructive. Higher levels of parental care predicted a lower tendency to perceive criticism as destructive while higher levels of parental overprotection predicted a higher tendency to perceive criticism as destructive. US American participants were found to have a significantly higher tendency to perceive criticism as destructive compared to Italian and Singaporean participants. The findings align with past research on the role of the parent-child relationship in the socio-emotional development of children as well as providing insight into a specific aspect in social interaction; perception and response to criticism, being affected. Future studies can look to investigate this relationship further in different countries in light of cultural variation in parenting styles and emotion experience, expression and regulation. Nanyang Technological University Published version This research was supported by grants from the NAP SUG to GE (M4081597, 2015-2021).

Human faces convey a range of emotions and psychobiological signals that support social interactions. Multiple factors potentially mediate the facial expressions of emotions across cultures. To further determine the mechanisms underlying human emotion recognition in a complex and ecological environment, we hypothesized that both behavioral and neurophysiological measures would be influenced by stimuli ethnicity (Japanese, Caucasian) in the context of ambiguous emotional expressions (mid-happy, angry). We assessed the neurophysiological and behavioral responses of neurotypical Japanese adults (N = 27, 13 males) involved in a facial expression recognition task. Results uncover an interaction between universal and culturally-driven mechanisms. No differences in behavioral responses are found between male and female participants, male and female faces, and neutral Japanese versus Caucasian faces. However, Caucasian ambiguous emotional expressions which require more energy-consuming processing, as highlighted by neurophysiological results of the Arousal Index, were judged more accurately than Japanese ones. Additionally, a differential Frontal Asymmetry Index in neuronal activation, the signature of an approach versus avoidance response, is found in male participants according to the gender and emotional valence of the stimuli. Ministry of Education (MOE) Nanyang Technological University Published version This research was supported by grants from the Erasmus + International Credit Mobility to A.B., T.G., and G.G. (2016–2017), the JSPS KAKENHI to H.D. (26461769), the NAP SUG (M4081597, 2015–2021) and the Singapore Ministry of Education ACR Tier 1 (RG149/16 and RT10/19) to G.E.

Human beings engage in multiple social interactions daily, both in person and online. There are, however, individual differences in the frequency and quality of these interactions. This exploratory study focuses on online interactions and aims to model these differences by looking at potential environmental and genetic factors. The environmental factor is the childhood parental relationship, as reported by the participants in the dimensions of the Parental Bonding Instrument (N = 57, 41 females). At a genetic level, buccal mucosa cell samples were collected to assess participants&rsquo, genetic susceptibility, and OXTr regions rs2254298 (G/G homozygotes vs. A-carriers) and rs53576 (A/A homozygotes vs. G-carriers) were analyzed. To capture participants&rsquo, online activity, Instagram was probed. The number of people that the individual follows (&ldquo, followings&rdquo, ), followers, and posts were used as a proxy for the quantity of interaction, and a Social Desirability Index (SDI) was computed as the ratio of followers to followings. An interaction between OXTr groups and parental bonding scores on the number of followings and posts was hypothesized. A gene-environment interaction for OXTr/rs2254298 on the number of Instagram posts was identified. In line with the hypothesis, participants with a genetic risk factor (A-carriers) and a history of low paternal care showed fewer Instagram posts than those without this risk factor (G/G genotype). Moreover, an interaction effect between maternal overprotection and OXTr/rs2254298 on the Instagram SDI was detected. These findings could represent an indirect pathway through which genes and parental behavior interact to shape social interactions on Instagram.

Early interactions with significant individuals affect social experience throughout the course of a lifetime, as a repeated and prolonged perception of different levels of care, independence or control influences the modulation of emotional regulatory processes. As many factors play a role in shaping the expectations and features of social interaction, in this study we consider the influence of parental bonding and genetic allelic variation of oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism (rs53576) over levels of experienced anxiety and avoidance in 313 young adults belonging to two different cultural contexts, namely Italy and Singapore. Results highlight a major effect of maternal characteristics, care and overprotection, with differences between the two cultural groups. Additionally, the interaction between rs53576 and maternal overprotection suggest different environmental susceptibility in the Italian sample and the Singaporean one. Implication in clinical work and future steps are described in the conclusion.

In both physical and online environments, human social interactions can represent a means to gain recognition and approval from others. While there is considerable evidence about the interaction between genetics and the environment on social development, studies adopting the same framework to investigate online social interactions are lacking. The present work applies a model from behavioural genetics on Instagram sociability to explore the impact of individual development on social media platforms' behaviour. We hypothesized that social attitudes on Instagram resulted from an interaction between serotonin transporter gene alleles and the individual's remembrance of the interaction with caregivers. We assessed the environmental and genetic components of 57 Instagram users, adopting the Parental Bonding Instrument to determine the perceived parental care and overprotection. The number of posts followed by users ("followings") and followers were collected from participants' Instagram profiles as online social activity indexes. Additionally, the ratio between the number of followers and followings ("Social Desirability Index") was calculated to estimate each user's social network's asymmetry. Finally, information on the polymorphism rs25531 (T/T homozygotes vs C-carriers) within the serotonin transporter gene was extracted from participants' buccal mucosa cell samples. In line with the predictions, we found a gene-environment interaction on the Social Desirability Index": users with the genotype more sensitive to environmental influences (T/T homozygotes) showed a higher Instagram "Social Desirability Index" than less sensitive ones (C-carriers) when positive maternal care was experienced. This result may contribute to the understanding of online social behaviour from a gene*environment perspective.

Background: Developmental disabilities have been largely studied in the past years. Their etiological mechanisms have been underpinned to the interactions between genetic and environmental factors. These factors show variability across the world. Thus, it is important to understand where the set of knowledge obtained on developmental disabilities originates from and whether it is generalizable to low- and middle-income countries. Aims: This study aims to understand the origins of the available literature on developmental disabilities, keeping a focus on parenting, and identify the main trend of research. Methods and Procedure: A sample of 11,315 publications from 1936 to 2020 were collected from Scopus and a graphical country analysis was conducted. Furthermore, a qualitative approach enabled the clustering of references by keywords into four main areas: “Expression of the disorder”, “Physiological Factors”, “How it is studied” and “Environmental factors”. For each area, a document co-citation analysis (DCA) on CiteSpace software was performed. Outcomes and Results: Results highlight the leading role of North America in the study of developmental disabilities. Trends in the literature and the documents’ scientific relevance are discussed in details. Conclusions and Implications: Results demand for investigation in different socio-economical settings to generalize our knowledge. What this paper adds? The current paper tries to provide insight into the origins of the literature on developmental disabilities with a focus on parenting, together with an analysis of the trends of research in the field. The paper consisted of a multi-disciplinary and multi-method review. In fact, the review tried to integrate the analysis of the relation between developmental disabilities with a closer look at the scientific contributions to the field across the world. Specifically, the paper integrates a total of 11,315 papers published on almost a century of research (from 1936 to 2020). An initial qualitative analysis on keywords was combined to a subsequent quantitative approach in order to maximize the comprehension of the impact of almost a century of scientific contributions. Specifically, documents were studied with temporal and structural metrics on a scientometric approach. This allowed the exploration of patterns within the literature available on Scopus in a quantitative way. This method not only assessed the importance of single documents within the network. As a matter of fact, the document co-citation analysis used on CiteSpace software provided insight into the relations existing between multiple documents in the field of research. As a result, the leading role of North America in the literature of developmental disabilities and parenting emerged. This was accompanied by the review of the main trends of research within the existing literature.

Humans are inherently social beings, whose behaviour is regulated by multiple interactions between genetic predispositions and environmental influences [1]. In-person social interactions represent the first mean to share ideas and make comparisons with others. Nowadays, communication has rapidly spread trough new environments like social networks sites (SNSs). However, the quality and the frequency of online and offline interactions may vary across individuals. In this research, we probed these differences in online interactions through the lens of behavioural genetics. Our question was if the personal expectations of social behaviour could affect the frequency in the online sociability of users genetically sensitive to experiences [2]. Accepted version

Both expectations towards interactions with conspecifics, and genetic predispositions, affect adults׳ social behaviors. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we report data to investigate the interaction between genetic factors, (oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) polymorphisms), and adult interactional patterns in shaping physiological responses to social distress. During the presentation of distress vocalizations (cries of human female, infants and bonobos) we assessed participants׳ (N = 42 males) heart rate (HR) and peripheral nose temperature, which index state of arousal and readiness to action. Self-reported questionnaires were used to evaluate participants’ interactional patterns towards peers (Attachment Style Questionnaire, Feeney et al., 1994 [1]), and the quality of bond with intimate partners (Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, Fraley et al., 2000 [2]). To assess participants׳ genetic predispositions, the OXTR gene (regions rs53576, and rs2254298) and the 5-HTTLPR gene (region SLC6A4) were genotyped. The data set is made publicly available to enable critical or extended analyzes. Keywords: Adult interaction, Oxytocin receptor gene, Social abilities, Gene*environment, Physiological responses to social distress

A new bioplastic was produced from rice straw, an agricultural waste that generally is not recovered. For the synthesis the sample was treated by using the Naviglio extractor, then it was dissolved by trifluoroacetic acid. The material exhibits good mechanical properties, with tensile strength and elongation at break equal to 45 MPa and 6.1% and 10 MPa and 63% for dried and wet dumbbells, respectively. It results that the mechanical properties of the produced bioplastic, in its dry state, are comparable to those of polystyrene, while cast bioplastic in wet state is similar to plasticized poly(vinyl chloride). This demonstrates the high mechanical performance of the newly obtained bioplastic both in dry and wet status. The morphology of bio-based material, investigated by scanning electron microscopy, showed a uniform and compact surface structure. 2D X-ray Diffraction analysis reveals that bioplastic is essentially amorphous. Mass loss test noted that it is completely decomposed after being embedded in soil for 105 days. Industrial and environmental advantages of the newly obtained biomaterial are evaluated in terms of embodied energy and CO2 footprint production and in comparison with thermoplastic starch and other plastics. Finally, shape memory test revealed promising dual shape effects of the biomaterial, with a partial but significant shape recovery. In summary, depending on the environmental humidity, the material shows a dual mechanical behaviour that can be exploited to obtain shrink films and sheet or to drive shape memory effect. Therefore, we suggest rice straw bioplastic as a new potential eco-material for different application fields.